Let us look again at this verse. In Biblical times it was normal to talk about heirs as sons. Way back in the Old Testament while the Israelites were still wandering in the desert God made it clear that daughters could have an inheritance in the same way as sons.

If you were adopted by a loving father in the earthly world, or if you have had a loving natural father, who was present throughout your childhood, you will know a daddy who has lifted you onto his knee, listened to your stories, shared your joys and calmed your fears.

The frailty of man is wanting to be independent and we often live our lives without God until something goes wrong. Then we blame Him and expect Him to put it right. It seems that the Lord has to allow difficulties in order to reveal more of Himself to us.

This verse is a serious warning from Jesus. It is also a bit scary! Many of us thought that all we had to do was to repeat a certain prayer, be a bit emotional, go to church from time to time, and then we would have our passport to Heaven!

When we think of our inheritance in Jesus, we know that all that is His is ours. So we inherit the Kingdom of God. But maybe we need to be a bit more childlike to take hold of what is rightfully ours, if we continue to live as His children.

Many martyrs have brought people to the Lord at their moment of death. The way that we live and the way that we die can be very persuasive in helping others to see that we are children of God. And through that they can be persuaded that God is real.

Satan tempted Jesus to doubt His identity. If the enemy can get us to doubt or forget our true identity, then he can begin to manipulate us. Jesus had just had His identity confirmed at His baptism when God spoke making it clear to all who had ears to hear.

Yesterday we were told to live as children of light. Today we need to shine like stars! Praise God for His message that never changes. Whether we shine like stars, lighting the darkness, or lamps for lighting the road ahead, the message is the same. We must shine for Jesus!

Jesus told his disciples that they were the light of the world. He knew that His earthly family would eventually reflect His glory and live like His children. Paul wrote the verse above encouraging each of us to live in the light of all we receive from our Heavenly Father.

All of us have a long way to go to live in the total freedom God has for us. Because there is always more. Too many of us are living under restrictions that can be self imposed or church imposed because of our false ideas of what a Christian is.